Expanding reed



July 4, 1967 EXPANDING REED Filed Oct. 21, 1965 5 vJ//ll' 70., /f 8 IInventor m// 69mm 5 @Mams United States Patent O 3,328,864 EXPANDRNGREED David C. Cumbers, Glascoed, Pontypool, England, as-

signor to British Nylon Spinners Limited, Pontypool, England, acorporation of Great Britain Filed Oct. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 499,490Claims priority, application Great Britain, Nov. 7, 1964, 45,497/ 64 1Claim. (Cl. ZS-SS) ABSTRACT OF THE DSCLOSURE A variable spacing reedcomprising a multiplicity of base members disposed side-by-side and insliding contact, each member carrying a reed wire upstand-ing from itsupper surface that may be separated from adjacent reed wires by slidablychanging the position of the base members between expandable bars.

Disclosure The present invention relates to reeds used in warp beamingto space the warp ends one from another -as they are drawn onto arevolving beam.

Reeds invariably comprise a large number of parallel spacer members[that define between them slots through which lthe warp ends are causedto pass. The spacer members are, -of necessity, of narrow widths, and,in order that they sha1-l have :adequate strength, they usually take theform of narrow strips, 'although they could be rods.

The spacer members may be held in a rigid surrounding frame or they maymerely upstand from a base.

Because of differing requirements lthroughout the textile industry, nosingle reed of fixed dimensions will be suitable for use in everycircumstance because the distances between slots will not always accordwith a consumers specification. T-hus, in a given case passing a yarnthrough every slot may result in too many yarns pe-r unit width of warpbeam and passing yarns through alternate slots only may -result in toofew yarns per unit width of warp beam.

To allow of somewhat greater versatility, reeds have been formed withslots inclined to the base so that by using different levels and/or bypassing a plurality of yarns through each slot at different slot levelsvariation in lateral spacing of yarns can be obtained. The use of suchreeds needs, of course, great skill.

The present invention provides a variable spacing reed that is ofsuitable dimensions for use Ias a yarn-spacer in warp beaming, whichcomprises a base formed of a multiplicity of members of uniform andnarrow widths disposed side-by-side with side surfaces parallel and insliding conftact, control means for ensuring that the members arecapable -of sliding movement with respect -to one another only in suchordered manner that colinear points on the upper surface of the base(one point being on the upper surface of each member) remain colinearthroughout the sliding movement, and Ia multiplicity of parallelyarnspacer members mounted on respective base members and upstandingfrom the upper surface of the base substantially in a plane, the spacermembers dening between them slots, and the dimensions of the reed aresuch that the distance between the centre lines of adjacent slots variesas the base members so slide with respect to one another between a valuenot less than 0.040 inch and a value preferably not greater than 0.125inch, with the lateral separation between adjacent spacer membersmeasured in Ithe plane of the spacer members never being less than 0.003inch throughout.

Every base member need not carry a spacer member.

From `a practical viewpoint, it is best `that the upper sur- 3,328,854Patented July 4, 1967 face of the base be at and that the base be nobulkier than is required for it properly and adequately to perform itsnecessary functions. The base members are advantageously of uniformlength, the base then having an upper surface of overall form that of aparallelograrn.

Advantageously the control means comprises a pair of parallel bars thatextend across, and in engagement with the ends of the base members onopposite sides of the base, and the arrangement is such that movement ofthe parallel bars lengthwise and in opposite directions (whilemaintaining engagement along their lengths with the ends of the basemembers) brings about the said sliding movement of the base members, andmeans is provided for altering the separation between the parallel barsto any value within a given range of values so as to set the separationbetween the centre lines of adjacent yarn slots at any value within saidgiven range of values therefor.

Preferably, the bars provide spaced abutment surfaces that locate thebase members both against movement in a direction normal to the uppersurface of the base and against movement in their directions of extent,sliding movement in the aforesaid manner being allowed, and separationof the base members one from another being prevented, by resilient meanstending to urge fthe base members towards one another. Clearly resilientmeans acting on the rst and last base members of the side-by-side arrayland tending to move one towards the other will suffice to preventintervening members moving apart.

The bars may take a number of distinct forms, all functioning inessentially the same manner. Thus, the bars may be slotted platesthrough the slots in which stub projections on the ends of the basemembers project with small upper and lower clearance, and shoulders on.the base members abut against the facing surfaces of the plates.Alternatively, the bars may be tubes slotted along their lengths todesired extent, stub projections at the ends of the base members beinginserted into the slots with abutment either of shoulders on the basemembers against the outside surfaces of the tubes, or, alternatively, ofthe ends of the base members against the far inside surfaces of thetubes. Advantageously, the bars are tied together by rigid rodspivotally fixed at their ends to the ba-rs, the rods extending parallelto the direction of extent of the base members.

The resilient means may take the form of tension springs acting directlybetween portions of the rst and last base members of the side-by-sidearray of such members. Where the said bars are slotted tubes, thetension springs may be enclosed within the tubes and act between stubprojections at the ends of the said first and last base members. Thearrangement and form of the tension springs may be such that stubprojections on the end base members are clamped between adjacent helientturns of the spring. If desired stub projections at the ends ofalternate base members may be inserted between the helient turns of thetension springs, the ends of the remainder of the base members stoppingshort of the springs.

A variable spacing reed constructed in accordance with the Iinventionwill now be described by way of example in greater detail with referencetothe accompanying drawings (which are not t-o scale) in which FIG. 1shows in isometric view a series of yarn spacer members (pins) and basemembers (segments) arranged as they are in the reed,

FIG. 2 is Ia plan View lof the reed (part only shown) lin an expandedcondition; and

FIG. `3 is a cross-section taken along the line A-A in FIG. 2 and viewedin the direction of the arrows.

Referring especially to FIG. 1, the reed comprises a large number ofbase members, or segments, 1 stacked side-by-side which are slidablelengthwise one with respect to another. The segments 1 carry yarn spacermembers (pins) 2 that upstands from the upper edges of the segments 1 atpoints mid-way along those edges and dene between them gaps, or dents,through which warp ends pass. Particular well-spaced segments 1 carrystub projections 3 at their ends between which tension springs 4 act soas to maintain the intervening segments 1 as a compact unit. Theremaining segments` 1 are identical and rectangular.

The projections 3, and springs 4 as well as end portions of all thesegments 1 are located in guide members each indicated generally by thereference numeral 5. The guide members 5 include shaped bars 6 and coverplates 7 which coact to provide abutment surfaces locating the segments1 (see FIG. 3). The cover plates 7 are not shown in FIG. 2 in order toreveal the underlying segments 1 as they are arranged when the reed isexpanded.

The pins 2 are of such cross-sectional shape (see FIG. 2) that dentWidths remain substantially constant over a wide range of reed spacings.(The shape required can readily be derived geometrically in any givencase.)

One of the guide members 5 (the left-hand one in FIG. 3) is xed to abase plate 8 but the other guide member 5 is smoothly slidable thereon.The guide members 5 are coupled together by links 9 which maintain theguide members 5 parallel to one another throughout lengthwise slidingmovement of the one guide member 5 with respect to the other. Thus, thelinks 9 and the guide members 5 are aligned with respect to one anotheras are the sides of a parallelogram. Y

Additionally, the links are so dimensioned and arranged (see FIGS. 2 and3) that when one guide member 5 is moved relatively to the other(necessitating distortion of the stacked segments 1 from an arrangementsuch as that shown in FIG. 1 to another arrangement such as that shownin FIG. 2) engagement of the guide members 5 with the ends of thesegments 1 is maintained so that the segments have substantially nolengthwise freedom of movement. It will be noted that during suchcontrolled distortion of the array of stacked segments 1 the pins 2remain coplaner despite the distances between their centres, or axes,increasing in accordance with the simple relationship x=x/c0s 0 where xis the distance between the centres, or axes, of adjacent pins 2 whenthe segments are inclined at an angle 0 to the guide members 5, and x0is the minimum value of x (when 6=90 The guide members are movedrelatively to one another in controlled manner by the followingdescribed arrangement: A hand wheel 10 is fixed to a screw-threadedshaft 11 which is journalled in an end plate 12 (see FIG. 2-part onlybeing shown). The plate 12 is rigidly secured to the base plate S of thereed. The shaft 11 carries a nut 13 from which upstands a pin 14. Thepin 14 passes in close t up through a slot in the end link 9. Hencerotating the shaft 11 in either direction moves the nut 13 along thelength of the shaft 11 and engagement between the pin 14 and the slot 15forces the end link 9` to pivot about its coupling to the non-moveableguide members 5. Such pivoting forces the stacked array of segments 1 tobe distorted to greater or lesser, as the case may be, reed spacings.

The guide members 5 must be of a suflicient length to accommodate themaximum desired overall increase in the dimensions ofthe stacked arrayof segments 1 as measured across the ends of the segments 1 adjacenteither guide member 5. A segment 1 (not shown) at the middle of thewhole stacked array is mounted on an underlying link 9 so as to benon-slidable with respect thereto (as by a boss on the under edge of thesegment 1 seated in a socket in the link 9). Expansion of the reed thenoccurs in both directions about its middle instead of, for example, fromone end.

The pins 2 and segments 1 may suitably have the following dimensions:

Inches Minimum pin diameter approx 0.05 Maximum pin diameter do 0.08Thickness of segments 1 do 0.063 Length of segments 1 do 4 (Excludingprojections 3) It will be realised that the overall reed width may bereduced when desired by removing terminal blocks of segments 1.

What I claim is:

A variable spacing reed that is of suitable dimensions for use as ayarn-spacer in Warp beaming, which comprises a base formed of amultiplicity of identical members of uniform, narrow widths disposedside-by-side with side surfaces parallel and in sliding contact, controlmeans for ensuring that the members are capable of sliding movement withrespect to one another only in such ordered manner that colinear pointson the upper surface of the base, one point being on the upper surfaceof each member, remain colinear throughout the sliding movement, and amultiplicity of parallel yarn-spacer members mounted singly onrespective base members and upstanding from the upper surface of thebase substantially in a plane, the spacer members dening between themslots, and the dimensions of the reed are such that the distance betweenthe centre lines of adjacent slots varies as the base members so slideWith respect to one another between a value not less than 0.040 inch anda value preferably not greater than 0.125 inch, with the lateralseparation between adjacent spacer members measured in the plane of thespacer members never being less than 0.003 inch throughout.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,924,002 2/ 1960 Ibbs 28-552,950,519 8/ 1960 Gilstrap 28-55 FOREIGN PATENTS 146,245 1903 Germany.

MERVTN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

L. K. RIMRODT, Assistant Examiner.

